Addressing Childhood Myopia

It is really no secret that there is indeed a high prevalence of myopia in Singapore children. In fact, 65% of primary school-going children had varying degrees of that problem. There is definitely no stigma with wearing spectacles, and my kiddos even asked for spectacles so that they too can look studious or even cool! But it would even be better if there is no need for spectacles is it not?

There could be a myriad of reasons why certain kiddos get myopia while others do not. In fact it could even be genetics, as parents with myopia tend to pass the risk of it down to their offspring. For me, I tried to minimize the possibility of my kiddos having myopia by restricting their usage of electronic gadgets onto to school holidays. In fact, they hardly get any television screen time at all too. But because both me and my wife had varying degree of myopia, I do have my concerns.

Some sobering facts and figures!

The kiddos followed me to the Suntec City Flagship store of W Optics recently when I needed to my fittings, and I took this opportunity to check out the products and services meant for the younger customers, and even infants! They even have a special corner just for the kiddos, with colouring activities to keep them occupied, and filled with all the different cute eyewear meant for them. Leroy surely did not hesitate to try some of them out, while trying to look cool.

The kiddos doing DIY testing!

Since we were all there, I got Steffi and Leroy to try out the eye test offered for children at the outlet as well, so as to give me the peace of mind that their eyesight are all good! I have to commend the two optometrists who were assigned to the kiddos, for they did great at keeping the kiddos entertained throughout the process, which was comprehensive and yet totally fuss-free!

Going through the same tests I did earlier!

Thankfully for our family, both the kiddos need not have to wear any spectacles for the time being, with Steffi only having a very mild case of myopia and Leroy actually having hyperopia with hopes that it will autocorrect in the future. My wallet is safe for now but...
 

We were also advised to bring the kiddos back for regular eye check-ups because there is always a chance that their eyesight may deteriorate over just a short period of time, requiring spectacles in the end. For now, I shall I can only keep my fingers crossed that they continue to have good eyesight and stick to regular check-ups! If you notice your kiddos complaining about trouble with reading off the blackboard or whiteboard in class, do make an effort to get their eyes checked. Whilst there are no cure for myopia, you can do your part to slow its progression by catching it earlier. We were told that children with higher myopia at young age have higher risk of getting eye diseases later in life – so please send your kids for regular eye checks In fact, if your kiddos does have myopia, you can even consider getting Ortho-K for them. 

Note: This blog post is in collaboration with W Optics. The kiddos were provided with the eye examinations for review. All opinions and photographs remains solely ours.
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